Special voting rules apply to write-in candidates

Monday

Nov 5, 2012 at 7:06 PMNov 6, 2012 at 7:45 AM

Today's general election in Syracuse includes declared write-in candidates and Election Commissioner Janene Bennett says voters should be aware of rules when a person's name does not appear on the ballot.

Today's general election in Syracuse includes declared write-in candidates and Election Commissioner Janene Bennett says voters should be aware of rules when a person's name does not appear on the ballot.

For a write-in vote to be counted, she said, the person's name needs to be written on the line provided and the oval beside the name needs to be filled in.

It is not enough to write in a name, but fail to darken the oval.

Tomas "K.c." Ortiz officially filed as a write-in candidate for mayor of Syracuse. Tim Shanks filed as a write-in candidate for a Syracuse city council seat.

Bennett said the last name is important, but she won't toss a vote out if the first name is wrong or even omitted — as long as a write-in candidate's name is there and that oval beside it is blackened